Cessna T210N accident near Abita Springs, Louisiana, December 14, 2004
On December 14, 2004 at about 5:32 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N4873C, was destroyed in an accident near Abita Springs, Louisiana (St. Tammany Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Also causal was the pilot's improper in-flight emergency planning when he misjudged his available altitude and made a 360 degree turn away from the airport instead of proceeding directly to it, which resulted in him landing over a mile short of the runway in heavily wooded terrain. A factor was the prevailing high wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2004 · about 5:32 pm local time
- Place
- Abita Springs, Louisiana · St. Tammany Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4873C · no longer on the register · serial 21063654
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 1,483-hour private pilot and a passenger departed on a 308-nautical mile cross-country flight. Approximately 22 minutes after take off, radar data revealed the airplane was headed west at an assigned cruise altitude of 6,000 feet msl. Shortly after, the airplane began a shallow descent and turned northwest toward an uncontrolled airport that was not its original destination. When the airplane was abeam, and south of the airport, it made a 270-degree, descending left-hand turn before it proceeded on a northeast heading toward the airport. Subsequently, the airplane descended into heavily wooded terrain about 1.2-miles southwest of the airport and was destroyed by post-impact fire. The wind was reported from 350 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 19 knots. Examination of the airplane revealed the fuel selector valve was turned off and no mechanical deficiencies were noted with the engine. The pilot's son disclosed that his father had been having problems with water contamination in the fuel.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,483 hours in all; 774 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,427.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 4,016 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GPT Gulfport-Biloxi MS at 5:05 pm
- Destination: 00R Livington TX
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.54 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ASD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.